ten minutes they kicked and pulled and pounded,
shouting "HEY!" and "WAKE UP!" at the top of their lungs. It was hot
work, and David finally admitted to himself that the Phoenix had been
right. But before he could say so, the Phoenix completely lost its
temper and savagely bit the Gryffen's tail.

That did it. The Gryffen opened one eye halfway and said, "Unffniph?"

"GET UP!!" the Phoenix bellowed.

The Gryffen struggled into a sitting position and yawned a tremendous
and noisy yawn. Then it squinted blearily at David and murmured,
"What day is it?"

[Illustration]

"Wednesday," David said. "Could you please tell us--"

"Oh, Wednesday," said the Gryffen. It thought about this for a while,
mumbling "Wednesday ... Wednesday ..." to itself. It lifted one leg as
if to scratch the fly bites, changed its mind in mid-gesture, and
dropped the leg again. "Oh, _Wednesday_," it said at last. "So it
isn't Saturday?"

"No," said David. "What we want to know is--"

"Not Saturday," said the Gryffen, sinking down to the ground with a
huge sigh of relief. "Ah! Come back on Saturday. Saturday afternoon. I
generally get up on Saturday ... in the ... afternoon...." The words
faded into a snore.

"There you are, my dear fellow," said the Phoenix. "Just as I said.
Oaf! Boor!"

"A _very_ annoying animal," said David angrily.

"I agree, my boy. But the Gryffins are different, I assure you. Now,
let me see. Where should we look--"

"There they come!" David cried suddenly. "Look!" And indeed, a number
of winged creatures were loping down a hillside toward them.

"Good heavens!" the Phoenix shouted. "Those are the ones we do _not_
want to meet! On my back, _quick_!"

"What are they?" David gasped as he threw himself on the bird's back.

"Gryffons!"

The Phoenix rushed along the ground a few feet and sprang into the
air. But it was too late. The foremost Gryffons, with powerful strokes
of their wings, shot up to meet them. The Phoenix swerved sharply.
They missed the snapping beak of the first Gryffon by half an inch and
dodged the second--only to smash into a third. David was stunned by
the blow and the fall. When he regained consciousness, he found
himself in the tight grip of two Gryffons. The Phoenix was struggling
feebly with another, and still more were crowding around them,
screaming like hawks.

They looked like the sleeping Gryffen, but were as large as ponies.
Their eyes were yellow and unblinking, and their tail